Last updated: January 27, 2026

In the Weeds

by TM Petaccia

It’s rarely a good thing when a successful restaurant is sold. Typically, the new incarnation does not live up to its prior reputation and quality. So when Trey Wilson sold his highly touted restaurant to chef Andres Kaifer in 2022, there were a few concerned murmurings. Nearly four years and a Michelin recommendation later, those murmurings have been utterly and justifiably silenced.

Kaifer has not only picked up where Wilson left off, but has sharpened and deepened the restaurant’s identity. What was an already beloved neighborhood favorite has evolved into something even more precise and purposeful. The cooking is bolder, the compositions more assured, and the passion is felt not just in the ambition of the dishes, but in their overall craftsmanship, balance, and confidence.

Customshop’s cuisine is a tribute to Kaifer’s Cuban roots as well as an amalgamation of his varied culinary journeys, with influences ranging from Asia to Italy to France to the Middle East alongside his family’s traditional core. As such, it’s difficult to define, aside to say that it all works in harmony.

The menu changes frequently, a reflection of Kaifer’s deep commitment to local sourcing and an unapologetically hyper-seasonal approach. A piece of advice: if a dish catches your eye, don’t save it for your next visit. It may be gone by then. Even the few mainstays, such as the wagyu beef tartare and the Rohan duck breast, are rarely static, often receiving week-to-week tweaking.

In all, the main menu rarely lists more than fifteen total dishes, divided into small plate, crudo, pasta, and grill categories. Dessert options add two to three more. It’s a tight list, but one that feels deliberate and focused rather than limiting.

Small plates is where you’ll find items like a salad of local lettuces with a yuzu-hickory vinaigrette, the house duck empanadas, sweet potatoes with caramelized onion labneh, and a wonderful braised cabbage with “pork candy.” You can have quite a nice dinner and never stray from the small plates menu. The same can be said for the crudo menu. The aforementioned beef tartare includes a nice chili kick with yuca chips making for a tasty conveyance. Poached shrimp with raspberry aguachile, enjoyed on a recent visit, was an impressive bold and balanced blend of flavors.

Even in its prior incarnation, pastas have always been a key part of the Customshop menu. Kaifer’s pastas are delicate in composition and paired with distinctive and soul-soothing sauces. Blue crab agnolotti is one of the few constants on the menu, again with hyper-seasonal tweaks. Currently, it is featured with a creamy green curry, but no matter how it’s executed on your visit, it is definitely worth saving space for.

Particularly noteworthy about the Customshop grill menu is that you’ll rarely (no pun intended) find a steak on it. You will find an outstanding Rohan duck breast with varying accoutrements, nicely seared without overcooking the meat — no easy task. There’s is also typically a pork dish with deep Cuban roots, as well as a few seafood options. A recent barramundi with Jimmy Nardello peppers was a pure delight. Note the fish is one of the most changed items on the menu depending on what comes in. What doesn’t change is the creativity and skill that goes into crafting each dish.

Desserts are simple but well-executed. The flan with cortadito (coffee) whipped cream and chocolate crumbles has its own set of very loyal fans, including UPPY award winning pastry chef Faith Morley at Counter-. “This is one of the only places in town I will never skip dessert,” she said in her Where Chefs Eat profile.

Customshop boasts an extensive wine list, including a nice selection of dessert wines, which one doesn’t see too often. On the cocktail side, the bartenders are well-skilled and can execute most orders with pinpoint accuracy. The house Security & Bond old-fashioned riff and Coffee & Cigarettes mezcal negroni are particularly noteworthy. However, we did find a few of the house drinks leaned a hair on the sweet side.

Service is friendly, efficient, and knowledgeable and will give you honest takes on recommendations, which is always a plus. The one hurdle to near perfection is the restaurant’s narrow footprint. Depending on the night and time of service, the place can feel a little claustrophobic and get a bit cacophonous, making conversations difficult. A definite plus is, a rarity in Charlotte, close and free parking in the lots across the street. It is also right on the CATS Gold Line, offering convenient no-drive options from Uptown or the West End.

All combined, Customshop should be a regular stop on your “where do I eat?” list. Rather than preserving Customshop in amber, Kaifer and his team have forged new paths, and in doing so, has made a compelling case that thoughtful stewardship, not nostalgia, is what sustains a great restaurant.